


"For once, let me take care of you”

by alternate_me



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Castiel in the Bunker, Cute Dean, Fluff, Hurt Castiel, Hurt/Comfort, Literal Sleeping Together, M/M, Protective Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester Ships Castiel/Dean Winchester, Season/Series 11, Sharing a Bed, Short, Tired Castiel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-23
Updated: 2015-10-23
Packaged: 2018-04-27 16:47:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5056237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alternate_me/pseuds/alternate_me
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cas has been cured of Rowena's curse, and now all he - and the Winchesters - needs is to rest before Team Free Will is able to face the Darkness. So Dean and Sam take him to the bunker, and Dean offers Cas his bed for him to sleep - only because Sam's bedroom is on the other side of the bunker and there is no other bed available, <em>of course</em>.</p>
            </blockquote>





	"For once, let me take care of you”

**Author's Note:**

> I've watched episode 11x02 and I decided to write this, so it's like my version of how I'd like Dean to handle Cas being hurt and tired after he's been cured of Rowena's spell.  
> It's important to say that I haven't watched episode 11x03 yet, so I've no idea of what happens in it - whether Cas gets cured, and, if that's the case, what happens after it. So, nothing in this fic has been influenced by ep 3.
> 
> Hope you guys enjoy it.

“Did you take my bag, Sam?” Dean yelled as he entered the bunker.

Sam was still closing the Impala and taking their things from it. Dean actually expected that he didn’t forget anything, for he couldn’t carry them himself, he was already quite busy.

Dean walked slowly. He had his right arm wrapped around Castiel’s waist as Cas held himself on his neck with his left arm. Cas was too weak, he staggered – Dean actually had put his left hand on his chest many times in order to stop him from falling down.

“Are you sure you can walk down the stairs, Cas?” Dean asked.

“Of course, Dean, I’m fine” he tried to smile, turning his head to face Dean.

Cas looked like he was going to faint at any minute. He was pale, and Dean could feel his muscles trembling under his hands. Curing Rowena’s spell hadn’t been easy, and Cas was on the edge. Dean just wanted to let him rest, so all of that would be over and they would be able to focus on the darkness.

Sam entered the bunker and closed the door behind him, locking it and passing by Dean. He was carrying two bags.

“Sam, shit, help me” Dean said, waiting with Cas at the top of the stairs.

“Calm down, Dean” Sam said, a little pissed off. 

Dean could relate to him, it was not just Cas, but all of them were completely tired.

“You told me to take the bags, I’m doing it. I’ll be there in a minute”

Dean watched as Sam tossed the bags onto the table, and then he suddenly felt Cas pending to the side. He got scared for a fraction of second and then his hand moved in a reflex, embracing Cas over his chest.

“Hey, hey, Cas, are you okay?”

Cas’s voice was almost too weak to be heard, and Dean could listen to it, only because they were very close.

“Yes, yes, I just think that I need to lie down”

“ _Sam_ ” Dean screamed, turning his head to the side, in time to see Sam starting to climb the stairs fast.

“Okay, I’m here” he said as he reached the angel and his brother.

“Help me here” Dean said.

Sam set himself on Cas’s right. He wrapped his left arm around Cas as Dean was doing, and, together, they started to descend the stairs carefully.

“Where are we going to put him, Dean?” he asked, and Dean could hear Sam’s breathing a little unstable from carrying Cas.

“Just, just put me anywhere” they heard Cas saying.

“Yeah, hell no, Cas” Dean said, a little exalted.

He turned his head to Sam.

“Do we have an extra bed ready?”

“No, Dean, I don’t think so” Sam said, as they reached the ground.

They stood still for a moment, Dean looking at Sam and then at Cas. He was the one who was apparently doing the thinking at the moment.

“We’ll put him in my bed” Dean said.

Sam looked at him, and raised his eyebrows.

“It’s the nearest room” Dean explained and Sam nodded.

“Yeah, okay”

Then Cas lifted his head and turned it to Dean. The tiredness on his face was almost too painful to watch.

“Dean, you don’t need to bothe-“

“Cas, don’t _you_ bother finishing that line” he said, starting to walk towards the corridor which would lead them to his room.

“I’m doing this and you will be quiet. You need to rest”

They took Cas to Dean’s room as fast as possible. Once they were near it, Sam let Cas under Dean’s care and walked ahead of them, opening the door. The room was a mess, Dean hadn’t finished tidying it after the now late Frankenstein family had taken all of his things to light them on fire. There hadn’t been much time. 

The bed was unmade and there were some LP’s on it. There were books on the floor, and photos on the nightstand which was on the right side of the bed. There was a half-eaten cherry pie on a shelf and two bottles of beer on the ground. Some of the furniture had been broken by the Frankensteins; others, by Dean himself, because of Charlie’s death, because he felt worthless for not saving her.

Sam started picking up each LP and organizing them in a pile. Then Dean entered the room carrying Cas, his left hand resting on his chest again.

“ _Move_ ” he said, harshly.

Sam almost didn’t have time to get out of the way before Dean laid Cas on his bed, by the left side. Cas fell down like a rock, hitting the messy sheets. There was an expression of relief on his face and on Dean’s. Cas closed his eyes slowly and then opened them again, sighing.

“Thank you, Dean” he said, his voice weak.

Sam looked at Dean’s features. He saw how his attention was completely on Cas, maybe there were tears on his eyes, but he wasn’t sure. Dean gulped down and suddenly looked at Sam, as he started circling the bed.

“Okay, move, Sam, move”

Sam got out of the way and leaned on the wall as Dean reached the right side of the bed. Then, he watched with widened eyes as Dean tossed his LP’s carelessly onto the floor and then sat on the bed. He pulled the blanket carefully from underneath Cas’s body, his left hand landing on Cas’s arm for support.

Then he pulled the blanket to the bottom of the bed and moved to the other side of it again, pulling a chair so he could sit beside Cas. Sam looked to be able to breathe and approach the bed again. He watched a little motionless as Dean untied Cas’s shoes and took them off carefully.

“Do you-uh, want any help?” he asked Dean, feeling left aside.

“Uh, no, Sam, I think I can handle this” Dean said, without actually looking at Sam.

Sam raised his eyebrows and nodded, ready to leave the room.

“Well, okay then”

“No, no – wait, Sam” Dean said, as Sam was already at the doorway “Could you do me a favor?”

Sam turned around and nodded.

“Sure, what is it?”

“Well,” Dean looked at Cas and then back at Sam, suddenly unsure of what to say “I-uh, I don’t actually know how Cas is right now, I mean, about all the grace thing, the broken wings. I don’t know whether giving him something to eat would do him any good” 

Dean stopped, appearing a little embarrassed. He looked at Cas lying on the bed. 

“I’ve been a crappy friend lately, I’ve no idea how he is”

Cas frowned, an expression of affection on his face. He was about to say something when Dean turned to Sam again.

“But you’ve been with him during all of this time. Do you think it would be a good thing to give him something to eat?” he asked, looking at Sam with inquisitive eyes.

Sam shrugged.

“I _really_ don’t know, Dean” he said “He has eaten since he became an angel again, so I don’t think that food will do him any _bad_ , even if it doesn’t do him any good”

Dean nodded, glancing at Cas and then looking at Sam again.

“So, do you think you could make… soup for him?”

Sam widened his eyes.

“Soup?”

“Yeah, you know, an ordinary soup. You wouldn’t remember it, but mom used to make me soup when I got sick” he gulped “I have no idea whether it was good for curing the flu or the fever, but it always made me feel better”

“A placebo?” Sam suggested.

“Yeah, whatever, Sam. But can you make one for Cas?” Dean asked, taking Cas’s shoes from the bed and putting them on the floor, near the feet of the bed.

Sam sighed, his tiredness was evident on his face.

“We owe him it, Sam” Dean said, and then his eyes looked for Cas’s. He found them merely open “ _I_ owe him, Sam”

Sam then finally nodded, appearing defeated.

“Okay, okay, I’ll do it” he said, and then, as he was leaving the room “I’ll be back in a few minutes”

Dean nodded to no one after Sam left the room, then he turned to Castiel again. Cas was looking at him, an expression of pure fondness on his eyes.

“Dean,” he said, exhausted “You didn’t have to do it”

“Shh” Dean said, bringing his finger to his lips, asking for silence.

He pulled the chair which was near the bed closer, and then sat down.

“I guess you haven’t had a rest since last year, Cas. So, for once, let _me_ take care of _you_ ”

Then Cas watched as Dean bent forward slowly. His face appeared as tired as Sam’s, and yet there was something about his expression that borrowed certain lightness to his features. He had a slight smile on his face.

“You don’t need to worry, Cas, just rest”

As Dean spoke, his hands reached out to Cas’s tie. Then he suddenly stopped, the position in which both of them were, as well as Cas’s wounded face, reminded Dean of when he’d beaten Cas up. He froze, Cas’s tie in his hands. Then, Cas looked at him, seeming to be a bit uncomfortable.

“Dean, are you okay?” he asked, looking at Dean’s hand on his tie.

Dean’s eyes were then back to the present. He smiled awkwardly and mumbled “ _Sorry_ ”. Then he loosened Cas’s tie a bit, and pulled it up. Cas lifted his head without Dean having to say anything, and he took his tie off his head, putting it on the nightstand beside Cas.

Dean looked at Cas from head to feet - thoughts passed by his eyes -, analyzing, finding a way to make Cas more comfortable. Then Dean moved to his collar, and started unbuttoning Cas’s shirt. Cas seemed to be a little surprised at Dean, but Dean was too focused on his shirt to look up at him. One, two, three buttons. And then Dean stopped. 

“Are you comfortable?” he asked.

“Yes, I think so” Cas said, moving his head on the pillow so he would be a little cozier.

Dean nodded and stood, reaching to the blanket at Cas’s feet. He took it and pulled it over Cas’s body slowly, covering him up. He felt a little awkward when he let the blanket go, for he was very close to Cas. Cas had been staring at him the entire time, and when he faced him, Dean felt the air was a bit tense between them, so he pulled back, gulping down.

Cas watched as Dean reached out for the chair behind him and pulled it a bit closer. He sat down again, looking at him.

“So, Cas, I think that we should take care of those wounds” and he pointed at Cas, lifting his hand and approaching it to his face “But as none of them seems to be too deep, I think it can wait till tomorrow. Right now you need to rest, and eat”

Cas nodded, he looked to be a little better from laying down. Dean was ready to stand up and to go check on Sam when he felt a weak grip on his wrist. He looked at where Cas’s hand held him there and then he looked at Cas, who was frowning.

“Dean, could you” he paused for a while, a little unsure “stay here? Till Sam arrives?”

Dean thought of it quickly and then he slowly sat down again. Cas let go of him then, his hand falling weakly onto the bed. Cas licked his lips and closed his eyes.

“Thank you, Dean” he said, gulping down.

Dean’s eyes then became sad; guilty was all over his face. He pursued his lips.

“Cas, you are seriously thanking me after everything I’ve done to you?”

There was a moment before Cas’s answer.

“It was the Mark” Cas’s voice was weak.

“Well, that’s not an excuse” Dean said, avoiding Cas’s eyes and looking down.

Then, he suddenly felt Cas’s weak grip on his wrist again, asking him to look at him. Dean raised his eyes and met Castiel’s tired ones.

“I know that you would never do that to me in normal circumstances” Cas said “And it’s not like I’ve never done anything like that to you”

The scenes of the crypt came back to Dean, Cas trying to kill him under Naomi’s mind control. But he still couldn’t stop the guilt of beating Cas from making him feel like crap.

“Yes, Cas, but even so” he said, looking at Cas “you don’t excuse something like that with the ‘eye for eye’ thing. What I did was terribly wrong, and you need to know that I’m sorry for that”

Cas smiled slightly.

“I know” he said “And I forgive you. And still I thank you for helping me with this curse”

Dean smiled back.

“Okay, okay, I suppose it’s not going to matter if I say you don’t need to thank me, you stubborn feather head”

Dean then got up, walking around the bedroom while Cas’s eyes followed him. He liked the sensation of being there with Cas, at the same time that it was weird to see him like that. Cas usually showed himself as a powerful being, and Dean hadn’t been there to see how bad he had got when his grace was fading - because he was too busy being a demon and drinking at bars with Crowley.

Now Dean looked at Cas, who looked so small and fragile below that blanket, and he just wanted to stay there and take care of him. He felt a little weird about it, but anyway, what were friends for?

Dean walked slowly and sat on the other side of the bed, over the blanket, leaning his back on the wall. Cas moved his neck to look at him, and Dean looked down at him.

“I’m tired too” Dean explained to Cas, smiling slightly.

Cas nodded and they both moved their eyes away from each other. They say that the ultimate proof of friendship is when you are able to appreciate the silence with someone else, without feeling uncomfortable. And that was what it felt like, when silence took control of the room. There was no need of saying anything, their company was enough for each other.

After several moments, Dean dared to break the silence. He sighed, and his voice came out worried.

“Cas, do you think we’ll be able of win this one?”

Cas gulped, his eyes lost somewhere in the ceiling.

“The darkness is one of the most powerful entities in the universe, and right now, we don’t have anything to defeat it-“

“Aren’t you the _most_ optimistic person?”

Cas smiled at Dean, looking at him again.

“You didn’t let me finish” he said “I mean, we did defeat Lucifer, and the leviathans, and every single thing standing in our way, didn’t we? I’d say we will find a way” he said, looking up again and closing his eyes slowly.

It took a while for Dean to answer, his eyes looked forward without seeing anything.

“Yeah, I’m sure we will” he said, almost automatically.

There was another moment of silence, and, when Dean descended his eyes to Cas, he found the angel’s closed. Cas’s chest moved in an slow paced rhythm, he looked peaceful in his sleep. 

At that moment, Dean was in the position where Cas had been so many times. And, as he watched over Cas, he felt the urgent compulsion of hugging him, of protecting him and not letting any harm happen to him ever again. Dean looked ahead, feeling a little strange about all of that situation. But Cas looked so hurt, and Dean just wanted to make him feel better. Was there anything wrong with that?

Slowly, Dean lay his back on the mattress, setting his pillow right in order to rest his head on it. He looked up, wondering why was it taking Sam so long. The quietness of the room made him suddenly realize how his own muscles were tired, how his head ached, and he closed his eyes and passed his hands over them. 

Then Dean yawned, stretching himself as much as he could so it wouldn’t bother Cas, and he turned to the right, facing him. As he watched Cas sleeping, a slight feeling of joyfulness took over him, watching the angel in that moment of complete vulnerability was so _beautiful_ for some reason. Cas looked so peaceful that he couldn’t stop staring at him.

After a few minutes, between Cas’s breaths, Dean felt his muscles relaxing and his eyelids starting to weight. He closed his eyes for a moment as disconnect thoughts came to his mind: Cas being cured, Cas covered in blood on the ground, Cas on a barn in a windy night; and he suddenly felt a sensation of lightness. He didn’t know when it happened exactly, but there came a moment when he couldn’t discern whether he was awoken or not, and then he finally let himself go and entered his troubled realm of dreams.

***

When Sam finally came back, he found Cas completely asleep, squeezed to his side of the bed, and Dean also asleep, lying on his side, head turned to Cas. Dean occupied most part of the bed, and his left hand rested gently on Cas’s arm.

Sam froze, the bowl of soup on his hands, momentarily not knowing what to do. Then, after a few seconds, he raised his eyebrows and a slight smile appeared on his lips. He silently put the bowl on a shelf, took his cellphone off his pocket, and took a picture. 

Then Sam took the bowl again and grabbed the spoon, sipping the soup. It was good, he thought. And then he looked once again at the bed and left the room, closing the door carefully so he wouldn’t wake up any of them. 

The slight smile was still on his lips as he walked in the corridor.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you guys have enjoyed it!
> 
> Thank you so much for reading, and I really would appreciate if you left your comment - I do love reading them :)


End file.
